Tape holder



May 3, 1949. w, sMlTH TAPE HOLDER Filed Feb. 14, 1947 haw] A T70PNEY holders.

is Wound. provide a holder on which such a roll may be Patented May 3, 1949 UNITED STATES FAT ENT (9FFICE l Claims. 1 Thisinvention relates to improvements in tape Rolls of adhesive tape of the Scotch tape order are now commonly employed in ship- :ping rooms where each packer often uses two or :three rolls a day; these rolls generally consist of cylindrical cardboardspools on which the tape It is an object of this invention to easily and quickly mounted, and from which the empty spool may be as quickly removed.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a holder including means for cutting tape off theroll at sufficient distance from the spool that some tape hangs freely from the latter to facilitate its attachment to the next package since adhesive tape of the type contemplated is diiiicult to remove from the roll unless such a free end is provided.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a tape holder which may be used either when mounted on a fixed support or when removed therefrom, for in many instances it is more convenient for a packer to take a loaded holder to a package and apply the tape there.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tape holder including a support having a base and means on the support for holding the cylinder and arms projecting therefrom either parallel with or disposed at right angles to the base so that the spool may be permanently supported upon either a vertical or a horizontal surface, or so that the tape may be unwound to extend either in a horizontal or vertical direction.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a tape holder including a cylinder having a substantially segmental block therein so that when the cylinder is detached from the support some of a packers fingers may be inserted into the cylinder against the inner face of the block to hold the cylinder against rotation while the tape is being applied to a package and the roll rotated upon the cylinder.

Having thus briefly and broadly stated some of the objects and advantages of the invention, I will now describe it in detail with the aid of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the invention,

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof, and

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail showing a modified form of cutter blade, and

Figure 5 is a section on the line 55 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a side view showing the cylinder 42 mounted in -a support with the: arms. extending parallel with the: base of the :support.

Figure (is an end vieW;.ofFigure 6, and

Figure 8 is a view ,showing the cylinder-so mounted on the support that the arms 'flI'QifdiS- posed at right angles-to zthezba-se.

Referring to the drawing, Idesignatesa roll of adhesive tape of theiScotch tape order-wound around a spool 2, and-3.-denotes-a cylinderlon which the spool is freely-.mounted so that it may rotate thereon as theataperis unwound. Immovable in the cylinder land-extending throughout the length of the latter-isa segmentala member or block 4 the inner face of. which is flat. Whereas in the drawing the cylinder- 3 is shown made of a curved piece .of'stock the adjacent; ends-of which arevheldcontiguous.byscrews- 5 extending therethrough andrin engagementwith theblock 4, it is of courseunderstoodothat anypreferred form of cylinder and-blockmay be employed so long as they are immovable relative to :one another. The thickness of the segmental blocla 4 such that some of the: packers fingers. may be easily inserted into the cylinder3 to-bear against the fiat face of the. block so that the cylinder may be easily held when detached from its support.

Means are provided for holding arms 6, which extend at right angles to the axis of the cylinder 3, immovable against opposite ends of the segmental block 4. In the present instance these arms are supported by bolts 1 which extend through both arms and the block and have thumbscrews 8 on their extremities which are positioned on the side of the cylinder 3 opposite that from which the packers fingers are to be inserted; to facilitate detachment of the arms, which obviously must occur prior to removal of one spool and the mounting of another upon the cylinder 3, the said arms are each slotted at 9 from one extremity to receive the bolts 1. Formed integral with and extending between the other extremities of the arms 6 is a cross bar 10 having a cutter blade ll extending across its outer edge. This blade may either be integral with the cross bar as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 6 and 8, or the latter may be folded as shown at Illa in Figures 4 and 5 to form a transverse groove to receive the rear edge of a separate cutter blade Ha. The latter is suitably apertured for the passage of bolts I2 which also extend through the folded portion Illa of the cross bar. For though the device itself will last more or less indefinitely the blade gradually becomes blunt with Wear and it is therefore advantageous if it may be replaced from time to time.

is a support of U-shaped section in the opposite sides of which the holding means by which the arms 6 are secured to the block 4 are mounted. In the present case opposed pairs of slots l6 and I! are formed in opposite sides of the support I 5 from their upper extremities. The slots H are longer than the slots [6 so that either each pair of slots may receive the ends of one bolt 1 as shown in Figures 6 and 7, or both bolts may be supported in the slots H as shown in Figure 8. Consequently the wall I 9 to which the base I8 of the support i5 is secured may be either horizontal or vertical, and in either case the arms 6 may be arranged to project either horizontally or vertically so that the tape may be conveniently unwound from its spool in either a horizontal or vertical direction.

While in the foregoing the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and shown, it is understood that alterations and modifications may be made thereto provided they fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A tape holder including a cylinder adapted to receive a spool of tape around it, a member immovable in the cylinder and projecting partway across its bore to facilitate holdin the cylinder against rotation as the spool turns around the cylinder, parallel arms detachably mounted on the member and extending adjacent opposite sides of the cylinder and substantially radially thereto, said arms being held immovable relative to the cylinder, a cross bar integral with said arms at their outer extremities and extending between the latter, and a cutter blade across the outer transverse face of the cross bar.

2. A tape holder includin a cylinder, a segmental member immovable in the cylinder and extending throughout the length of the latter, arms each resting against one end of the member and projecting substantially radially beyond the cylinder periphery, means extending through the member for detachably holding the arms thereto and immovable relative to the cylinder, a cross bar integral with and extendin between the outer extremities of the arms, and a cutter blade across the outer transverse face of the cross bar.

3. A tape holder including a cylinder having a member immovable therein extending partway across the cylinder bore, parallel arms projecting substantially radially on opposite sides of the cylinder, detachable fastening means extending through said member and arms for holding the latter immovable relative to the cylinder, a cutter blade supported transversely between the outer extremities of the arms, a U-shaped support including a base, and means in opposite sides of the support for receiving the opposite extremities of the detachable fastening means and holding the cylinder immovable with the arms either parallel or at right angles to the base.

4. A tape holder including a cylinder adapted to receive a spool of tape around it, a member immovable in the cylinder to facilitate holding the latter as the spool rotates around it, parallel arms immovably mounted on opposite sides of the cylinder projecting substantially radially a material distance beyond the spool, a cross bar folded transversely to form an outwardly disposed groove across it, said cross bar extending from and between the outer extremities of said arms, a cutter blade resting in the groove and extending across the outer transverse face of the cross bar, and fastening means extending through the folded cross bar for holding the cutter blade immovable in the groove.

WHEELER B. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Fischer July 13, 1943 Number 

